


Take On Me

by Nanami_Fushikawa



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adashi deserves better, Bottom Adam, Bottom Lance, Don't worry, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Getting Back Together, Half Mexican Adam, Half latino Adam, Let my latino boys bond, M/M, Sex is not important in the fic but I want to put my opinions on here, Slow Burn, adashi, klance, of Both couples
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-11 04:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15965123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanami_Fushikawa/pseuds/Nanami_Fushikawa
Summary: Adam is determined to keep Shiro safe, even if it means leaving his job at Garrison, his coffee maker and joining an intergalactic war. Seriously, where did they get that cat-shaped ships were a good idea?





	Take On Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to this fic!
> 
> Firstly I would like to state since the beginning of the fic that english is not my first language, i'm a proud latina so I speak spanish and that means that for default there are going to be typos, things write in a weird manner or stuff like that. I really need a beta tho, so If you like to be my beta feel free to put it in a comment.
> 
> Also if you are still reading after what I said, I love you guys, please enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: The characters are not my property.
> 
> Enjoy!

_There is a silence, uncomfortable for him that lasts for a few minutes. The back of the seat, in which he is lying, grinds a little when he tries to find a more comfortable position. The feeling of his therapist's gaze is overwhelming. They have been talking for months, week after week he comes back and takes the same position on the uncomfortable seat and anyway there is not progress at all. Anxiety attacks are not decreasing and sometimes he just does not care about anything so he has to put a huge effort to get out of bed._

 

_The voice of his therapist comes methodic and familiar to him “Mr. Wood, you have to let them go. I'm sorry to repeat it again, but you have to leave your past in the past.”_

He removes the sweat from his forehead with his arm, the heat is worse than usual if he is honest with himself, however it is not strange considering that he lives in the desert. The thought fluctuates in his mind, in a lazy way, for a moment, Adam does not have the privilege of getting lost in his mind for a long time; he has to finish this task before go home.... The word home seems so wrong in his mind, but this _home_ is what he has right now, it’s the only thing that somehow still connects him to his past. _To Takashi._

Adam stares at his hands for a moment, his gloves are full of grease, but he can still see the point of his fingers and well it seems that the work with vehicles is apparently passing the bill, but it is the job that he currently has so he does not complain. Being a mechanic in the small town is not as bad as it seems, no one asks questions and he gets enough money to buy food; also he is the best mechanic of the place in where he works, so he got an exclusive clientele just for himself.

Adam takes the keys out of his faded and stained pants; he opens the car’s door and takes a seat in front of the steering wheel. The keys emit a soft sound when they are entered into the corresponding slot “. Come on, baby, you can” the engine is technically repaired, although that does not ensure that it works perfectly, but he still expects it to work, because he wants to sink himself, just for a moment, into his own misery. One year has already passed and he does not know if he'll be able to take it anymore.

The engine comes to live and emits a sound like a purr; it reminds him for a moment of the sound of his jet, the jet that he used to have in the Garrison. He closes his eyes for a moment and it seems that everything is fine, as if there were no problems and the only worrying thing would be to grade tests. His head weighs a little when he remembers why he is working there, in a relatively non-existent town, at the other side of where Plaht City is located. Places located in opposite directions, it is almost like a metaphor of how his previous life and current life are. Back then everything used to be simpler. He wants to go back to his simpler life in which he felt that he would die of stress due to being a pilot, an engineer and a Garrison teacher at the same time. For a moment, he can feel it again; he can see it inside of his head, almost like an old picture of what it used to be. The memory is bitter; it hurts badly, although the memory is accompanied by a masculine and so well-known voice.

He opens his eyes to return to reality, when he hears the footsteps approaching his position. The noise made by the boots is almost nonexistent thanks to the purr of the engine; however, he is used to being a little bit paranoid to avoid being caught when he is in that state. The self-pity state it’s lame and he knows it but he can’t help it.

He is not surprised at all for the sudden presence that is located in the left side of the truck, he also is less surprised for the female voice that comes from the same site “. You really are good at this, Adam.”

Wood turns off the car to turn to his left and watch the person closely. She is the owner of the mechanical workshop; she always carries that aura of curiosity that makes it a little pleasant to be with her. Blonde hair and blue eyes, she is two sides of the same coin; she wears fat-filled uniforms when she is repairing vehicles but she wears delicate dresses when she has a date with her boyfriend. It's refreshing, and the young woman is also brilliant.

Adam smiles a little because she manages to take some joy out of him; she is so young and she thinks the world is something that can be eaten “. Something like that, "he says softly, he does not want to go much further into his past “the engines have always been easier than people ..." He ends up saying to himself, but for the look Diane gives him  it makes it clear that she obviously hear what he said . Her blue eyes watch him as if she understood it so deeply that it makes him uncomfortable for a second.

Wood feels embarrassed for a moment, but he throws the emotion away, it's not the worst thing someone found him doing or saying.

“Everything is simpler than people” she says in a voice full of meaning, it's as Diane knew what she is talking about and Adam agrees, because she is right.

There are people who have had it worse than him, much worse, but he keeps clinging to his past because he does not find what else to do. It is unhealthy, his therapist told him, she told him thousands of times, but he cannot let it go because his past is full of the people who meant so much in his life. They actually still mean something beautiful in his life.

Adam cuts the train of his thoughts, this is not a time or place, he will wait to get to the apartment and when he is there he may drink a lot of coffee to silence his thoughts for a moment. He does not have any alcohol stored in his house and it is much better this way, he would not like to repeat the incident of months ago, dealing with a drunk Keith is one of the things that he _totally_ does not want to deal by his own again. So he must be a responsible adult, even if it is not for him but an angsty teenager.

"So that’s all for today, right?" He asks casually trying to change the subject, he gets out of the vehicle and he offers the keys to the blonde who takes them gently and then put them into the pocket of the pants she is wearing.

Diane smiles slightly as she nods” .Yeah, you can go home. Say hi to Keith for me, "says the young woman as she waves her hand in farewell manner.

Adam nods”. See you tomorrow, Diane. Say hello to Edward for me as well.”

She frowns a bit, obfuscated and embarrassed a little when she hears her boyfriend's name, but she still agrees.

Wood leaves the workshop with quick steps, there is something inside him that burns, that makes him feel quit anxious since the day began, but there is nothing unusual, it's just an ordinary day. There is past four in the afternoon, but the heat has not diminished a bit, frankly it is a day equal to the rest even in spite of the hotter temperature than usual.

He sighs slowly when he reaches his   _hoverbike_  that is in front of the small workshop, there is no need to put it somewhere more private, things like assaults do not happen in that town. Everyone knows each other and knows who to trust, at first it was difficult to them to be accepted in the town, after all Keith and he were just strangers who had come from nowhere. They did not know if they had good intentions, but apparently they had won the confidence of the people at this point, after all they had been living there for about ten months...

 

He left his reverie and then he proceeds to drive his hoverbike. The distance to the apartment complex, in which he was staying, was short as always. He parked the vehicle in the small parking lot of the building and went up to the second floor where his apartment was located. It was small, the kitchen, dining room and living room were connected without any division apart from the breakfast room, and the place has two rooms. Enough for them two anyway, Keith also only uses the place to sleep, so he was surprised to see the young man with an impatient expression on the sofa.

"Keith?" He asked uncertainly as he entered.

Kogane returned his gaze as he stood up. "Can you make bombs for large perimeters?"

_What the hell?_

Well, Adam knew how to make bombs. God, if he wanted he could blow up the apartment complex with just the refrigerator components, but that was not the point.

"Adam?" Keith watched him with a raised eyebrow as if he were questioning his sanity, which was not very good, but nobody can blame him! He was taking care of the practically younger brother of his ex who was presumed dead.

 _Ouch_.

Not even the black humor minimized the shock of pain at the thought of Takashi, he could almost hear the voice of his therapist asking him why he was doing that to himself.

Wood sighed as he adjusted his glasses. “I heard the question Keith, now mine is why _?”_ He emphasized the question with his voice.

Keith had the decency to look a little uncomfortable because he looked away; he seemed to be debating whether to tell the truth yes or no. Wood had to remind himself in his mind that he should not take it personal; nothing good came out of that.

"Do you remember the pictures of the cave?" When Adam nodded, Keith went on.  “Since I woke up today I have had this feeling, as if something were going to happen, also certain data, that I collected from the cave, says that something is going to happen today at night ... I need to go to the desert, I do not think I would use the explosives, but I would like to go prepared just in case.”

Adam stared at the black haired man for a while, debating whether it would be wise to tell Keith that he understands the sensation. It was as if some strange thing was pushing him to go for a walk in the places where he and Takashi used to drive or compete, at the beginning he had associated that to the idea that he was having a bad day, a number 4 in the scale of 10 that his therapist recommended him to take as a way of emotional follow-up.

The problem with Keith is that he is always angry lately; Adam understands that, Keith has had a constant life of abandonment so it is obvious that he will never give up on this. Not when there is a strange force telling him to go to the desert and that also happens to give him hope to meet Shiro again. Adam, being the responsible adult in charge, of course accepts, Keith smiles softly as he was thanking him with that gesture and Wood thinks so, that's the most decent way they've interacted in a while.

“But, first I'm going to take a shower and I'm going to use the refrigerator and microwave for this, so when this mystical excursion finishes, you're going to help me to buy new stuff” he says looking straight into his eyes, Keith seems to contemplate the idea for a moment, he apparently does not like the indication for the way of how he frowns, but he still nods at the end.

Another thing about Keith is that he never lies about what he says, so if Adam does not give him the explosives he might find another, much more illegal way to get them and God, he was the boy's legal guardian, he did not want to go to prison due to explosives traffic.

He takes a quick shower, one about 10 minutes, just to get rid of the sweat, grease and dust of the desert. He knows that if he takes too long, Keith will probably come knocking on the bathroom door. He gets out of the shower and goes to his room and decides on comfortable clothes: jeans, a black T-shirt and his brown boots that seems to be dark orange but are not. If he is going to allow Keith to have explosives it is obvious that he will accompany him, so he prefers to wear boots in which the sand of the desert does not sneak so easily.

He sighs in resignation when he sees his toolbox on one side of the room, both the refrigerator and microwaves already positioned on the floor of the living room. Obviously Keith was not going to wait long.

He sat on the floor and began to work with what he had; the explosives work with a timer that he set up and they were in small cereal boxes to disguise. It did not take less than an hour and apparently Keith seemed skeptical of his bombs in cereal boxes.

“Is this going to work?”  The teenager, with a raised eyebrow, has the audacity to ask.

“Yes, they're going to work, thanks for having faith in me, Keith” nobody can blame him for being a bit sarcastic, the boy had seen him making the bombs and how each of them actually have a detonating on the inside plus a small amount of gunpowder  that would activate the main mechanism.

Kogane did not add anything, he simply went over and took the explosives and then put them in a bag.

"Well, then, come on, it's already night," Keith added, looking at the dark sky peeping out the window.

It was six in the afternoon and Keith really looks concerned at this point, well Adam at least was grateful that it was Kogane himself who had suggested to go together. It was nice to know that Keith at least knew him enough to know that he would never, ever, let him go alone with explosives that could make things disappear within 10 meters.

Adam turned to the left in order to take the denim jacket that rested on a sofa. It did not fit so well, it was big on his shoulders and just about hip height, much shorter than the jackets he normally wore, but ... he was a masochist so that one belonged to Shiro. Adam also took the bag of explosives, the inquisitive look of the shorter one already on him. “Prevention measures “he murmured as he closed the apartment door.

They went down the stairs to look after their respective _hoverbikes_  , Keith's was red while his had a design somewhat similar to those used in the Garrison, orange with gray and black. Adam sighed when Keith accelerated hard leaving him behind as they entered the desert. Wood accelerated to get right next to Keith.

The trip was long until they reached the shack that belonged to Keith's father. Kogane opened the door and turned on the light, which blinked a little until it was fully lit, the image of the room gave a lot to talk about cleaning, there was a lot of dust and leaves scattered around the place. Something inside of him stirred disturbingly, he wanted to clean the place, but he knew they did not have time for that because standing there, in the middle of the desert, the weird feeling was increasing, and maybe it had to do with Keith looking anxious while looking at his conspiratorial board.

“Well, then ...  now what?”  He decided to ask to ask to the younger.

It was better to confront the elephant in the room than to keep circling the subject. They really had no way of knowing if this really involved Shiro yes or no but anyways they are there.

Before Keith could say anything, an explosion was heard from outside the shack, both of them saw each other for a moment. The two quickly left the shack, Keith quickly putting a handkerchief in his face.

"You take care of the explosives; I'll use the distraction to sneak away!" Keith did not wait for a confirmation; he just drove away in the same direction of the sound.

It was a fact that the Garrison was going to be in the place when they arrive at and if they wanted to see what was going on they would need a distraction. Adam accelerated with force, when he arrived at the place, as they expected, the Garrison was already there, Keith gave him a nod; he was going to wait for the explosions to try something. Adam's heart was pounding; some treacherous hope was brewing in his chest.

Wood swerved the hoverbike to the north; he left the vehicle parked behind a huge stone and then he put the explosives slightly apart from each other. He ran back to where his bike was located and then he activated the small remote control that he carried in his pocket. The bombs were activated and a large explosion in sequence occurred, as was to be expected. A part of the Garrison’s trucks went to his position as they planned, Adam accelerated around the stone to avoid being discovered; however, one of the vans seemed to find him and the pursuit began.

Adam cursed under his breath, hoping Keith would have fared better than he did.

"Adam, over here!" Wood turned to his right to see Keith’s  _hoverbike_ full of teenagers and an unconscious Takashi.

 

_An unconscious Takashi, Dios Santo._

Wood felt as if he had been hit in the stomach, but he forced himself to keep his shit together, they had a military institution behind them. There are more important things than an unconscious ex being carried by screaming teenagers.

“Is that Professor Wood!?” Adam, like the rest, ignored the question of who he remembered was one of his former students, Hunk Garret, who later started shouting that they were approaching a cliff.

Adam pursed his lips and threw away the memory of the first time Takashi had done that in front of him without a warning, almost killing him of worry, the little piece of shit; although not long after that he had taught him how to do it. Adam felt the adrenaline rushing for his body and the wind touching his skin, he felt alive…

Both, Keith and he, landed without any problem other than the screams from the teenagers. Neither of them slowed down a little, it was better not to be so naïve taking into consideration their current circumstances. Adam used the half hour it took them to get to Keith's shack to digest the situation. Takashi was there and by the look of relief that he could see on Kogane’s face that means Takashi was alive, it was not a corpse what they were carrying. It was a living human being, Takashi was there _._

“Do _n’t expect me to be here when you get back."_

That damn phrase was repeated by his brain again and again in his mind, it was like a damn song that rumbled through his subconscious without leaving him alone. Dr. Walker, his counselor, had told him that it was because he felt guilty, but he should not, because after all Adam had always given a lot in the relationship without expecting anything in return, it was obvious that he was going to reach a break point because he was human after all and in addition he was having a rough time with his mom, it was a matter of time. That phrase was just the result of stressful situations and a broken heart.

It had not been the last words he had told Takashi before Kerberos, the last words had been an uncomfortable farewell and a confirmation that they would not get back together. Adam was hurt, he wanted Takashi to stay with him, he wanted to have a damn shoulder in which cry when the inevitable happened.

"Professor Wood?" Hunk had approached him, they had just arrived, but he could not find the strength to get out of his vehicle.

Adam blinked when he was abruptly pulled out of his internal monologue. “Yes, I'm sorry, I kept thinking about something.”

Hunk nodded not sure about what he heard, but he still did not add anything else. A smart boy.

Both walked in the direction of the shack, soft sounds leaving the safety of the walls already. Lance and Keith had deposited Shiro in the small sofa that has the place, the only couch in the shack to be honest.

"Is he alive?" asked the tiny boy with glasses. Adam give him a long stare, he feels familiar because he is like a younger version of Matt Holt. Does not Dr. Holt have a daughter?

Well, it does not matter right now.

Adam looked at Keith, waiting for an answer because he was unable to get close to Shiro and put a hand on the other's neck to look for a pulse. He does not want to think about the possibilities of Shirogane actually being dead.

“Yeah, he's still unconscious from the sedatives that the Garrison gave him” he murmured, crossing his arm. Keith could seem sullen for everyone in the room but Adam knew better, Kogane was happy, truly happy. Much more relaxed than he had seen him since Kerberos.

“We should rest, we all had ... a somewhat restless night. I'll stand guard while you sleep. "Adam opened his mouth because everyone seemed uncertain about what to do. “Keith has a few blankets that we can use” Kogane gave him an analytical look, as if he were trying to solve a puzzle, but he still followed his instructions and went to the closet in search of the sheets.

"You're not going to sleep, Professor Wood?" This time it was McClain who spoke.

Adam denied. “Someone needs to stand guard, I sleep little. All the years in Garrison left me with a bad schedule” he tries to say comically to lighten the mood a bit.” Also, I’m not a Garrison teacher anymore, just Adam is fine.”

Lance nodded in a friendly way.” Adam will be then, although that reminds me of that old vine that ... "McClain fell silent at the look his two friends gave him.

"Really, Lance?" Pidge asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lance raised his hands. “Hey, why a man can no longer enjoy his memes?” he genuinely asked indignantly.

Adam cleared his throat to keep them from raising their voices.” If I'm not mistaken you are Lance McClain and Hunk Garret, right?” when both boys nodded he looks at the other one,” But I don’t have the pleasure to meet you, what’s your name?” he asks.

“I’m Pidge Gunderson, I started studying at the Garrison when you left, it was a shame though; I read this project that you have about the plasma propulsion engine and how to empower the current…” The groan that left Lance’s lips make Pidge to stop, “It was an awesome work, Lance!” he said with a grumpy face.

Adam laughed a bit. “I’m glad you like it, it was a group project though, there was this brilliant cadet called Matt Holt. He came with the idea and then we started making the prototype, he is very intelligent.”

Pidge looks happy about what he said. “Yeah he is…”

There was no doubt, Pidge Gunderson was totally Matt’s younger sister, but it was not his business and anyways he did not know if Katie Holt was his dead name so he lets it be.

"So…  I'm not trying to be indiscreet, but what are you doing here, Adam?” Hunk scratched his head nervously.

Keith meanwhile returned from the hall with a pile of blankets that barely allow him to see, but even so Adam feels the other's heavy gaze on himself.

“I'm friends with ... Shiro, so I was helping Keith with everything” he never called him Shiro, he's called him Shirogane, but never Shiro because when the nickname was formed he was already calling him Takashi; however, right now it does not seem right.

The teenagers just nodded and took the blankets delivered by Keith. Adam preferred to go outside after taking one of the blankets that Keith carried; sleeping in the front of the place was not a bad option either.

 

* * *

 

 

The sun was just coming out, but it was clear enough to see easier the landscape. Adam had really slept little, maybe two hours between small intervals in which he woke up and went back to sleep. He was grateful that no one had gone after him. He swallowed thickly when he heard the noise coming from inside, apparently Shiro was finally waking up. God, he could hear _him_ mutter something to Keith...

Wood sighed and stood up leaving the blanket on the floor, he walked slowly to his   _hoverbike_  and sat there to avoid hearing about what these two were talking about; however fate laughed at his face when the front door was opened and then Shiro and Keith passed through  it. The taller one seemed unaware of his presence until Keith stopped and looked in his direction.

Well, that was worse than he expected. He was happy to see him, he really was! But they still were a former couple.

" _Don’t expect me to be here when you get back."_

Adam got out of his vehicle and walked with determined steps towards the other, Keith seemed slightly uncomfortable, but made no move to leave.

“I'm happy to see you again, Shiro” even though they were not together anymore, Shirogane was still his best friend, his roommate back at the Garrison, Adam was his copilot, he knows so much about Shiro: dreams, nightmares, childhood memories, so much stuff that he would never forget . A failed romantic relationship was never going to take that away, ever _._

Shirogane's expression softened a little, he came to the same conclusion as him. “I'm glad you did not keep your words, Adam “he murmured softly.

Wood looked away, feeling a little dazed by the pressure of the other's gaze in addition to his words.” I'll go see how the other cadets are doing.”

Shiro nodded and let it go easily.

Even so he was happy to see him again, even if they were not together anymore.

Of course, nothing prepared him to be catapulted to the other side of the universe in a robot in a very cat shape manner in order to fight an intergalactic war. The worst of all is that he only brought his music player in his pants pocket, while his tools and the possibilities of drinking coffee had been let in the Earth.

Fuck.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I have returned from the dead! This fanfic will be a bit long, I'm not going to rewrite all the story,there will be mentions to important chapters and sometimes I will rewrite a specific chapter, but the fic is going to be center in the half times between chapters from the show(? Also if you want to read a specific chapter please let it in a comment. Oh, I'm not salty about Voltron, it's just that the story of Adam and Shiro is so tragic that I cannot take it, btw, Adam is not a pilot, he's just in the castle with Allura and Coran for the moment .
> 
> Also 'Dios Santo' is basically Jesus Christ. Also as I said i'm latina but not mexican, so in order to avoid being a jerk putting something offensive, someone very nice that is mexican is going to help me to figure out stuff. I want to be respecful of their culture. The same with Lance, Pidge, Shiro and Hunk, if you can teach me something or just speak about your culture i'm the right person and I will be grateful.
> 
>  
> 
> Nanami off~


End file.
